Flowers Vineyard & Winery

Walt and Joan Flowers were nursery owners (Moon Nursery) in Pennsylvania who made frequent trips to Oregon and California to obtain nursery stock and pursue their rising interest in wine, especially Pinot Noir. In 1990, they purchased 321 acres high above the Pacific Ocean on the northern Sonoma Coast in Cazadero. They eventually planted 33 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the property's ridge top at elevations of 1150' to 1400'. The site turned out to be warm enough to ripen grapes yet was heavily influenced by the close proximity of the Pacific Ocean which provide cool morning fog below the ridgetop and afternoon cooling breezes. The ridge was named Camp Meeting Ridge.

In 1997, a gravity-flow winery was built on the property specifically for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Later, an additional 327 acres was bought and named Flowers Ranch. This property, like Camp Meeting Ridge, was less than two miles from the Pacific Ocean, but it had two ridges with elevations of 1400' to 1875'. 47 acres of Pinot Noir were planted from 1998-2001. Two vineyards were designated within Flowers Ranch, the 25-acre Frances Thompson Vineyard and the 22-acre Sea View Ridge Vineyard. The winery was expanded in 2003.

Flowers Vineyard & Winery is no one of three bonded wineries in the northern Sonoma Coast. Neighboring vineyards include Hirsch, Marcassin, Bohan, Charles, Hellenthal, Nobles, Blue Slide Ridge, Failla and Pahlmeyer.

The Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is the workhorse of the winery and is consistently a fine representation of the true Sonoma Coast viticulture area. A number of other estate cuvee and vineyard-designate bottlings are now produced, with Andreen-Gale, Moon Select, Camp Meeting Ridge, Frances Thompson, and Sea View Ridge being the most recognizable.

There have been a number of talented winemakers at Flowers who have gone on to distinguish themselves at other wineries or through their own labels. These include, Greg La Follette (Jim Ball Vineyards, Tandem, Londer, De Loach), Hugh Chapelle (Lynmar), and Ross Cobb (Keller Estate). Since 2008, the winemaker has been Darrin Low. The viticulturist is Larry Bradley. Production is about 20,000 cases per year of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, 85% of it estate grown.

In January, 2009, it was announced that Huneeus Vintners, the wine company owned by the Huneeus family and owners of Quintessa Vineyards in the Napa Valley, had bought a substantial interest in Flowers. Tom Hinde, Flower's president since 2006, was retained to maintain consistency.

Flowers wines are sold almost exclusively through a mailing list with decent retail distribution of the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and limited distribution of other bottlings. Tours and tasting are by appointment for those adventurous enough to make the trek to the winery outpost in Cazadero (avoid winter months as the area has heavy rain and roads are dangerous). 707-847-3661.